Pavese Festival

The Pavese Festival 2023 will take place from Tuesday 5 to Sunday 10 September in Santo Stefano Belbo. It will also feature a series of side events, both locally and across Italy, and will end in New York with a celebration of Cesare Pavese’s passion for American literature and culture. For the first time, the Pavese Festival will be paired with the Pavese Prize: the awarding ceremony of the latter is in fact scheduled on Sunday 10 September, for an all-round homage to the writer, poet, publisher, translator and critic. 

The Pavese Festival was launched in 2001 as a tribute to Cesare Pavese in his hometown. Mixing music, art, theatre and literature, our Festival invites prominent guests from the Italian literary and music scene to explore Pavese’s themes and works in Santo Stefano Belbo.

Throughout the years, our Festival has turned into an event not just for Pavese’s enthusiasts but also for visitors of a unique vineyard landscape, acknowledged as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Taking place in September close to Cesare Pavese‘s birthday, who was born here on 9 September 1908 – our Festival offers in fact the chance to discover the Langhe in a key season: the grape harvest.

Mario Biondi at Pavese Festival 2023

Mario Biondi - Pavese Festival 2023

After the great success of last year’s “Romantic Tour”, Mario Biondi will be performing in concert Saturday 9 September giving a taste of his new album coming out in autumn. He will be accompanied on stage by the six members of his historical band (keyboard/piano – bass/double bass – drums – percussions/guitar/flute – trumpet – sax), with whom the soul jazz singer will perform his most famous songs along with some new ones from the upcoming album. A project focused on his discography and the crooning style, marked by Biondi’s unique voice and a warm and intimate ambiance.  

Tickets (25 euro + pre-sale fees) will be available on ticketone.it from Tuesday 9 May 2023 and, right after, in all usual pre-sale outlets, including Fondazione Cesare Pavese’s bookshop. Special thanks to Banca d’Alba, main sponsor of the concert. Photo: Paolo De Francesco

Pavese Festival guests over the years

Among the big names of its 22 editions of the Festival Avion TravelLuca BarbareschiAndrea BoscaBoostaEzio BossoCanzoniere Grecanico SalentinoVinicio CaposselaColapesce & DimartinoCristina DonàMarcello FoisAlessandro HaberFiorella MannoiaNeri MarcorèFederico MecozziMusica NudaLaura MorantePacificoOmar PedriniMichele PlacidoAlessandro PreziosiEnrico Rava, just to mention a few. 

Pavese Festival 2022 (ph. Fabjo Hazizaj, Chiara Sacchetto)

Pavese Festival 2021 (ph. Eunice Brovida, Fabjo Hazizaj)

Pavese Festival 2020 (ph. Eunice Brovida)

Pavese Festival 2019 (ph. Claudio Marchini)

Pavese Festival 2018 (ph. Claudio Marchini)